Major Loss of a Young Mother of Two - Different Views

La Romaine mother stabbed to death

Published:  Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Ayanna Phillip

Heading to patronise Gulf City’s Boxing Day sale, a La Romaine mother met a tragic death when a male relative confronted her stabbing her more than five times about the body. Ayanna Phillip, 23, of 1 Byron Street, La Romaine died instantly after being dealt multiple stabs to the chest, neck and abdomen. Phillip worked as an attendant at Playdium Game Room and Restaurant, located at South Trunk Road, La Romaine. Investigators said around 2.15 pm, Phillip left her workplace to go to Gulf City Mall where she planned to purchase a gift for her nephew. A co-worker said Phillip wanted to take advantage of a 50 per cent sale at the mall, located close to Playdium. However, while walking out the gate, a male relative confronted Phillip and accused her of going to meet a male friend.

Police said an argument broke out and the man took a kitchen knife and stabbed Phillip repeatedly. Speaking at crime scene, Phillip’s mother, Joanne Sylvester, said she spoke to her daughter before she left for work. “She was in a jolly mood. We planned to have the usual Boxing Day lime home. I had just come out of the shower when I heard that (name called) stabbed her up.” Joanne said Phillip has two children— Lashaunda, aged four and Ajala, two. “She was a good person, very kind hearted and loving,” Joanne said. A blood stained kitchen knife was found close to the body. Joanne said the relative had often threatened to kill Phillip.

“They lived by me. He was always accusing her of something or the other,” Joanne said. Several of Phillips’ co-workers also wept at the scene. Manager of Playdium, Donnie Basdeo, said Phillip started working over a year ago. He said she was dedicated to her job. Owner of Playdium, Anand Ramesar, said that he planned to provide counselling for the workers. He also said that he hoped to set up an Employee Assistance Programme (EPA) for his team. Police officers from the San Fernando Homicide Bureau including Supt Hackshaw, Insps Singh and Parsons, Sgt Halls and Cpl Elvin visited the scene. Police were searching for the relative up to late yesterday.

Source:  http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/tuesday-december-27-2011/la-romaine-mother-stabbed-death

Woman stabbed to death

 

By LAUREL V WILLIAMS Tuesday, December 27 2011

POLICE investigators were last night searching for a man who stabbed and killed a 23-year-old woman outside her workplace in La Romaine yesterday. Dead is Ayanna Phillip of 14 Byron Street in La Romaine. She was the mother of two children.

Phillip worked as an attendant at Playdium, The Family Game Room and Restaurant, located at the back of Club Maracas (formerly Sting night club) along the South Trunk Road in La Romaine.

A police report stated Phillip was walking out of the establishment at about 2.15 pm yesterday when the man confronted her. The report added that he was accusing her of being unfaithful. Newsday learnt that at the time she was on her way to Gulf City Mall which is located nearby to purchase a gift for a relative.

During the heated confrontation, the suspect pulled out a knife which was hidden in his clothes and stabbed her multiple times about the body.

Phillip fell to the ground where she died minutes later.

The suspect however escaped as Phillip’s motionless body lay covered in blood on the ground.

When Newsday visited the family’s home, relatives refused to speak about the incident. Investigators from the San Fernando CID and Homicide Bureau (South) visited the scene and Cpl Ramlogan is investigating.

Source: http://www.newsday.co.tt/crime_and_court/0,152793.html

Broken One - Til Shiloh & Gary Acosta

This is a very well done video!

Domestic Violence and The Elderly

Elder abuse occurs around the world and is most often committed by family members. Let’s hope that safeguards will also be stiffened for those living in their own home.

Wheelchair-bound woman found dead

Published: Mon, 2011-12-05 18:54

Reshma Ragoonath

 

Lackrania Polly Samdeo

A life of filled with alleged abuse ended yesterday for wheelchair-bound mother of five Lackrania Polly Samdeo. The circumstances surrounding her  death, however, were still to be ascertained late yesterday after the 58-year-old woman’s semi-nude body was found under her mattress which was discarded in a vacant lot near her Penal home. Samdeo’s wheelchair remained overturned a short distance from her body. An autopsy will be conducted later today to determine the cause of death.

A male relative has been detained for questioning. Samdeo’s body was discovered around 8.45 am by her son, Ramesh Ramlal, 24, of Digity Trace, Penal. He, together with Samdeo’s niece, Rajwantie Mohammed, 43, of Barrackpore, went to the woman’s house at Railway Road, Suchit Trace, Penal, to check on her. Ramlal said his mother suffered beatings at the hands of a male relative. “He did not treat her good at all...He would beat her and do all kind of things to she,” he said. “I tell him about it one of the days and he tell me if that is my business...I leave and I walk out.”

Source: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/12/05/wheelchair-bound-woman-found-dead

Many Are Touched by Domestic Violence

Man killed after threatening wife

Published: Sun, 2011-12-04 19:52

Kevon Felmine

 

A 33-year-old Central man who threatened to murder his former common-law wife and her family has been killed during an altercation in Chaguanas yesterday morning. Nigel Collins alias Boxer, of Myers Avenue, Longdenville died while being attended to at the Chaguanas District Health Facility. Police said around 5.15 am, Collins went to Freedom Street, Enterprise Village, where he stormed into the home of his former common-law wife. While his three children slept, an enraged Collins whipped out a gun, pointed it at their mother’s head and threatened to kill her. She said Collins started to beat her about the body before running off to a nearby apartment where her mother and 22-year-old brother lives. It was reported that Collins also began making threats to their lives.

Fearing for their safety, the woman’s brother picked up a cutlass that was lying nearby and dealt Collins several chops to his neck, head and upper body. The assailant fell to the ground and the family contacted the police and ambulance. Officers from the Central Division led by Superintendent Johnny Abraham, Inspector Wayne Lawrence, Inspector Thecla Meharris and Sergeant Susan John visited the scene. The officers recovered a cutlass and a .380 pistol loaded with several rounds of ammunition. Two people were detained and have been assisting police with investigations. Police said Collins was employed as a part time “bouncer” at Rich Gold Bar in Chaguanas and was known to them for having committed several criminal acts. Inquires are continuing.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/12/04/man-killed-after-threatening-wife

Electronic Monitoring Perpetrators......What Do You Think About This

 ‘Ankle bracelets’ for wife-beaters coming—Volney

Published: Sat, 2011-12-03 20:28

Gail Alexander

 

Domestic abuse perpetrators will be monitored electronically via electronic ankle “bracelets” which can help warn female—and male—victims of possible abuse, Justice Minister Herbert Volney has said. Volney elaborated on the plan in the House of Representatives yesterday as he  piloted legislation for the use of electronic monitoring tagging. He said the tagging mechanism, which operates on a GPS system, will be used only on offenders who are not a serious threat to the public. It will not be used for crimes involving rape, murder, treason and the like.

“This will give the court another option...instead of putting a man in jail, put an electronic tag on him and tell him he can’t leave his house,” Volney said. “At least his wife and children will have the company of their husband and father, but he will be confined.” Volney said the electronic tag can particularly be used with regard to domestic violence cases to track perpetrators’ movements. “Government is taking a stand against domestic violence... women are living in fear and we want to protect them,” he added. He said although some women got protection orders, they still suffered repeated violence and sometimes death.

Volney said the Government had heard the pleas of victims and proposed to use the electronic monitoring plan to complement the protection order framework. He said it would better assist police to enforce protection orders and to ascertain who was violating such orders and when perpetrators were entering  excluded zones. Volney said the mechanism would provide an early alert to “fearful women” that a perpetrator was on his way. 

Source:  http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/12/03/ankle-bracelets-wife-beaters-coming-volney

 

Pregnant woman beaten

 

Pregnant woman beaten

Friday, December 2 2011

A 25-year-old pregnant woman remains in serious condition at San Fernando General Hospital after being beaten by a close relative during a dispute at her Coora Road, Siparia, home on Wednesday.

Police said Felicia Hosein, who is three months pregnant, suffered severe abdominal injuries. She was also injured in the head, knees and other parts of her body.

A 30-year-old male relative has since been detained in connection with the incident.

Investigators stated that Hosein’s father-in-law had reported to officers at the Siparia Police Station that she (Hosein) was being attacked by the male relative.

Following the report, a party of officers led by Sgt Ramsundar visited the home where they were able to rescue the woman. She was taken to the Siparia Health Facility for medical attention and later transferred to the SFGH. The suspect was also taken into custody.

Charges are expected to be laid soon.

Source: http://www.newsday.co.tt/crime_and_court/0,151600.html

Lawyer at launch of advisory clinic: Abuse of Women at brutal level

Lawyer at launch of advisory clinic: Abuse of women at brutal level

Published: Wed, 2011-11-30 21:37  

Almost half of the women who were murdered last year in T&T were victims of domestic violence. This was disclosed by family attorney Lynette Seebaran-Suite yesterday as she launched the Domestic Violence Advisory Clinic at the office of the T&T Group of Professionals Association, Fitz Blackman Drive, Port-of-Spain. The clinic was launched as part of 16 days of activism in commemoration of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which was celebrated on November 25. Seebaran-Suite said police records showed 33 women were murdered and 16 of the killings were related to domestic violence.

Addressing representatives of various Government and non-governmental organisations, she said domestic violence against women had moved to a new brutal level. She said sometimes twice a month one heard on the news that a woman was killed through domestic violence. Seebaran-Suite believes this goes back to gender issues but also feels it is related to “gaps” in the responses to domestic violence. She recalled that the “first generation” response to the issue centered around bringing it out of the bedroom and into the public domain.

The “second generation” response was the creation of legislation, like the Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Offences Act, and the formation of several groups and a hotline to deal with reports. The “third generation” response deals with having a proper follow-up programme with victims after they have reported the matter to the police and taken restraining action against the perpetrator. Seebaran-Suite said existing systems needed to be strengthened.

Head of the Police Service’s Domestic Violence Unit, Margaret Sampson-Brown, who also addressed the gathering, said she had requested 15 additional officers. Sampson-Brown said when the unit was first formed in 2008, they had 20 officers who responded to every report of domestic violence. She said nine of the officers eventually left but they were able to bring back their numbers to 20. The unit has interviewed an additional 15 officers who were just waiting on approval to be appointed, she said.

Sampson-Brown disclosed that they were working, at present, in the remote east Trinidad community of Matelot. She said of all the incest reports the police received, Matelot had the highest. She said there were 17-year-old mothers in the area. She said the unit recently walked house-to-house in the community trying to dialogue with residents and was able to establish a wonderful relationship with them. Poverty and some level of illiteracy were identified as problems and she said the unit was seeking to bring a library to the area to encourage reading.

Source:  http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/11/30/lawyer-launch-advisory-clinic-abuse-women-brutal-level

Calling for An End to Domestic Violence

 

Five-year-olds being raped

By CECILY ASSON Saturday, November 26 2011

Data coming out of the south office of the Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago has shown that five-year-olds were among clients who were brought in to get help from the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) last year.

Marcus Kissoon of the Rape Crisis Society made the disclosure yesterday at the launch of the International Day for the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence at Kampo Restaurant in Chaguanas.

Children have a right to sex education, Kissoon said, since it is the means by which they can help protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and other ills. According to Kissoon, out of 91 new clients seen in 2010 at the south office, 31 of them ranged in ages between five to 17.

Kissoon told the audience:

“Our organisation is designed for treatment of psychological traumas, we deal with sexual abuse, rape, and domestic violence.

“In 2010, we observed in our south office, which is located in the heart of San Fernando, that we had 91 new clients, issues ranging from gang rape to incest, to date rape to stranger rape. “In the same year, 31 of these new clients were between the ages of five and 17. Again this is the reported cases that came to us at the south office.”

Kissoon believes there are many cases that go unreported, saying “their numbers could double two or three times that.” Noting that he was a young man bringing word from the Rape Crisis Society, Kissoon said the statistics showed that one in eight men were sexually assaulted.

“... let us pay attention to the men who were sexually assaulted and are walking around with the burden of childhood traumas, those who were interfered with.

“Sex education is important because it is a process of acquiring information and forming beliefs,” he said. International Day for the Elimination of Gender Based Violence was hosted by the Young Women’s Christian Association in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) System in Trinidad and Tobago.

To mark “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” which began yesterday and ends on December 10, a number of events have been organised, including a youth competition titled “My Life in Words...I Claim My Rights”.

Addressing the audience, President of the YWCA of Trinidad and Tobago, Keisha Cruickshank called for an end to violence against women.

“We are calling for an end to domestic violence, sexual violence, to rape, to financial abuse, to trafficking for prostitution, to mobbing and bullying at work,” she said.

Chaguanas Mayor Orlando Nagessar and Minister in the Ministry of Gender Affairs, MP Ramona Ramdial, were among the guests at yesterday’s function.

Source: http://www.newsday.co.tt/crime_and_court/0,151256.html

Leaving is the Most Dangerous Time

‘It was licks and more licks’

Penal mom speaks about abusive son-in-law

Published: Thu, 2011-11-24 20:42

 

Ruper Persad-Nathai and her mother Krishendaye Jaikaran

Bleeding from stab and chop wounds, Ruper Persad-Nathai fought off her cutlass-wielding brother-in-law, Premchan Ramrattan, and saved her family on Monday afternoon. Ramrattan, who committed suicide, went on a deadly mission at around 4 pm at the Scotts Road, Penal, home of his mother-in-law, Krishendaye Jaikaran, 62, whom he accused of wrecking his marriage. While some mourned Ramrattan’s death, Persad-Nathai was hailed a hero yesterday by Pundit Basdeo Jaikeran. Krishendaye said her daughter Kumaria Ramrattan, 38, fled her marital home three months ago with her seven-year-old daughter, Sarika. “She had no other place to go so she came here...My son-in-law came several times and wanted her to return home,” Krishendaye said.

However, Kumaria refused to return because she was afraid of Ramrattan. She revealed that Ramrattan would often beat Kumaria after he got drunk. “It was licks and more licks...One time he put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her,” Krishendaye said. On another occasion, he took a stick and beat her on the head. Krishendaye said Kumaria tried to make the marriage work for the sake of their children, but after the last beating, she decided to leave. The distraught wife fought for custody of her children and won the case, Krishendaye revealed. However, Ramrattan’s behaviour got worse.

“He would go where she work and curse...She had to hide in the Siparia Health Centre where she worked as a janitor,” Krishendaye added. Persad-Nathai said two years ago, Kumaria overdosed herself with sleeping pills. “She didn’t want to live anymore and she had to spend three days in the hospital,” Persad-Nathai said. On the day of the chopping, Krishendaye was resting on the couch when Ramrattan walked in with a cutlass. He chopped her across the neck and demanded to see his wife. Kumaria fled. Persad-Nathai said she got “super-strength” when she saw Ramrattan going to chop up her mother a second time.

They began fighting and it was only when another relative intervened that Ramrattan left. He went to Rochard Road, Penal, where he was found slumped behind the wheel of his car.  An autopsy conducted on his body yesterday revealed that he died from ingestion of poison. Pundit Jaikeran said the incident was unfortunate as he had regularly counselled the couple. He described Ramrattan as abusive and possessive. Supt Franklin Sampath and ASP Rajkumar headed investigations.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/11/24/it-was-licks-and-more-licks

 

Healthy vs Abusive Relationships

      Identifying an Abusive Relationship